Trump Controls Liberty Square

By John Dorschner The fate of the $300-million makeover of Liberty Square now rests with the Trump Administration -- and its presumptive housing leader, who believes too many people are taking advantage of public housing. The plan to redo South Florida's largest public housing project -- approved by the Miami-Dade County Commission months ago -- must be accepted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development before construction begins. Trump has appointed right-wing neurosurgeon Ben Carson as HUD director, but MWN can see no indication he's yet been approved by the Senate. At his confirmation hearing earlier this month, the Los Angeles Times reported, Carson responded to a question about what to do for people receiving government assistance: "Carson said, 'Get them off it,' adding that he agrees that too many people are warehoused in public housing." While some journalists view Trump & Co. as wildly unpredictable, the local housing administrator said Monday he's not concerned. "The review will be based on well established guidelines regarding financing structure and over plan for redevelopment," wrote Michael Liu, director of Miami Dade County Department of Public Housing and Community Development, in an email responding to a question from Miami Web News. "There are no reasons to believe that the plan would not be approved. If anything, prospects are good that the development review will be facilitated based on the new Administration’s stated commitment to assist in rebuilding our inner city areas of poverty," Liu wrote.